Going long with coach LaVell Edwards, part 1


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SALT LAKE CITY — After inheriting one of the worst programs in college football, LaVell Edwards led the Cougars to a national championship just over a decade into his tenure.

For his career, Edwards would rack up 257 wins, 19 conference championships and the before mentioned national championship. I caught up with the coach recently, and he graciously answered my questions. The following is part one of a three-part interview I conducted with Edwards.

Dylan Cannon: Do you ever drive by the stadium and think “wow, that is named after me”?

LaVell Edwards: (Laughs). Every once in a while I go by and it catches my eye and I don’t think about it. Then every once in a while I think, “holy cow” you know? I can’t believe all that happened. So, it does catch me by surprise sometimes.

DC: So, let’s set the record straight. Who was your best quarterback?

LE: (Laughs). I’ll tell you what, if I even knew myself, I would never say it publicly. I’ve even asked myself if I had to choose one, I’d select one and think, “I don’t know. What about so and so?” So, it would be tough to separate. They were all different, but they were all very effective in what they did.

DC: Are there any games or moments in particular that stand out to you all these years later?

LE: I think the two that really stand out are the first time we beat Arizona State in my third year and then we went on to win the first conference championship that we’d ever won. That was a huge moment because Arizona State had pretty well ruled the roost around there for a number of years. So that was one. Then of course I think the Holiday Bowl in 1980 when we had a so-called “Hail Mary” pass completed. It came out of nowhere really.

DC: Are there any games or moments in particular that still gnaw at you all these years later?

LE: Yeah, I think the Indiana game when we went (into the bowl game) undefeated in 1979. It was the first undefeated football team we had and Indiana beat us on a long punt return for a touchdown. I can’t remember the score. That one really bothers me because that was a very good, maybe our best, football team. BYU had never had an undefeated season in the history of the school and that would have been really good.

DC: What do you consider to be your greatest success as a coach?

LE: Oh, I think the relationship with players and how well they came together as a team; to put the team above themselves. Because the whole thing was about personnel and personalities and we’d try to make it mesh into a team and how important it is to become a team. It doesn’t matter what neighborhood you live in or community or whatever, you have to learn to work together.

DC: What do you consider to be your greatest failure or disappointment as a coach?

LE: Losing to Utah one time. (Laughs).

DC: What was the most rewarding game or season you coached?

LE: I think the most rewarding season had to be the ’84 national championship team because we went into that season without a preseason ranking for the first time in a few years. We had some pretty good teams from 79-84. The year before we had Steve Young and a lot of other great players. In ’84, we played with Robbie Bosco as our quarterback and nobody had ever heard of Robbie. We went back and played No. 4 Pittsburgh and won that game. That was really the best part of it.

DC: What was the most disappointing game or season you coached?

LE: Well, I don’t know about the whole season. We only had one losing season. I can’t remember when it was. That was disappointing, though.


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About the Author: Dylan Cannon ------------------------------

Dylan Cannon is a regular KSL.com contributor and can be reached at DylanCannon86@gmail.com or via twitter @DylanCannon11. Listen to his weekly podcast, "Cougar Talk," on iTunes.

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